Lightning-arrester.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD s. HALSEY, or PALMET'lO, FLORIDA, AssieNoR 'ro GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY,

A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

'LrGnrNme-ARREsrER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Application filed December 10, 190;. Serial m. zaazas.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD S. HALSEY, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Palmetto, in the county of Manatee and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lightning-Arresters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved form of lightning-arrester or protective device for removing static charges from .electrical 'eircuits and for protecting such circuits from The invention comprises a column of fluid, such for instance as a liquid, retained within an inclosed space and so arran ed that a discharge of current will sudde y vaporize or otherwise expand the fluid, and thus automatically. interrupt the circuit and rupture the are formed by the escaping charge. The invention will be better understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the drawing forming a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a sectional view of one form of my im roved lightningarrester showing the metho of connecting to the power circuit; Fig. 2 is a detail View of the movable dash plate or bafiie; Fig; 3 is a sectional detail showing'the chain suspension and'the rubber impact cushion; Fig. 4 is a sectional detail of an aluminum basket which acts as a plunger, I as shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5 is amodification in which the'eolumn of liquid increases in crosssection toward the top so that the heating effect of the current is concentrated near the lower end of the liquid column; and Fi 6 shows a modification in which on is use as the liquid to be volatilized and in which an auxiliar break is provided beneath the surface of t 1e oil.

In Fig. 1 the lightning arrester is connected through a spark gap to the conductor 1 which may be one of the conductors of a high-potential transmission line. The two electrodes 2 and 3 of the spark gap consist refer-ably of aluminum disks located at sue a distance apart that the normal voltage of the transmission line will "ust fail to force current across the gap. A he disk 2 is connected to the binding post 4 screw-threaded into the lower end of the hard rubber or other insulating tube or chamber 5. This bindin post serves as one electrode from which the ightning discharge may pass. The insulating tube 5 carries at its upper end'a copper tank 6 and the tube and a part of the tank are filled pended a few inc es :1. ove the electrode 4 by a brass chain 8. This chainconsists preferably of-circular links of brass wire wound in 's irals, as I have found that such a chain has httle. tendency to tangle, and that when acked into a confined space it acts more or ring. The upper end of chain 8 1sv CSS 8.8 8,

sup orte from the top wall of the chamber 9,

the atter behig screw-threaded at its lower end to the bottom wall of the copper tank 6. This chamber 9 has a plurality of slots 10 in its side walls to permit the free circulation of liquid therethrough, and furthermore carries in the upper partof the chamber a rubber baflle 11, which serves to deaden the impact of the chain 8 and basket 7'when these parts are forced upward in the manner hereinafter de'seribed.

,When an abnormal pressure'occurs on the transmission conductor 1 the current jumps the air gap between the disks 2 and 3 and escapes 'from electrode 4 through the water containedin the lower part of chamber 5 to the electrode 7, and from there through the chain 8 to the copper tank 6 and thus to ground through the conductor 12. If this discharge is small, such for instance as might arise from a'sli ht static effect, no great disturbance woul be produced in the tube 5 but if on the other hand the discharge of current is heavy or if the line current follows the discharge across the gap between the disks 2 and 3, theli uid in the lower part of tube or chamber 5 will be almost instantly volatilized and the ex losive eflect roduced thereby will force t e lunger or asket 7 and the chain 8 upwar into the chamber 9 and will likewise carry upward the columnof water and force it out through the ion itudinal slots of chamber 9 into the main tan 6, thus almost instantaneously increasing the distance between the electrodes 4 and 7 from a few inches to'almost as many feet, and furthermore substituting; for the conducting breaks, the steam-within tube 5 begins to;

At the instant the am condense, thus producing a vacuum which forcibly draws down the plunger or basket 7 together with enough li uid to completely iill the tube so that the device is almost instantly reset for another charge. To increase the intensity of the heating effect. at the lower part of tube 5 I interpose a porcelain bushing 13 immediately above the upper surface'of electrode 4, thus concentrating the current flow within a relatively small area.

T 0 prevent the destructive or deterioratingaction of the are on the hard rubber tube 5 .coat the interior of the tube with a linin of refractory sand 14 or similar material b baflle p ate 15 is properly shaped to deflect downward the water which rushes outward from chamber 9. An annular flange 20 is provided in the sidewall of the copper tank 6 immediately below the lower edge of cover 19 so that liquid discharged u ward along the inner surface of the tank wil bedeflected toward the center of the tank and thus prevented from escaping between thecover and side wall. v v. i

In the modification shown in Fig. 5 the basketor plunger and its supporting chain are dispensedwith, and the column of liquid within the rubber tube 21 is relied upon to carry the current from the lower'electrode 4 to the copper tank 6, which is in this case the upper electrode. If a heavy current disc arge passes fromelectrode 4 to the liquid in the lower art of the tube 21 the liquid will be vaporize and its expansion will force the column of water upward into the tank and thus rupture the arc. By making the insulating tube smaller at the bottom than at the top I am enabled to greatly concentrate the heating action of the current 'at the lower part of the tube. In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the li uid-consists of oil or other low conducting aid and the u per electrode consists of an aluminum or ot or metal rod 22.provided at its upper end with a baffle plate 23 and an insulating guide rod 24 which passes upward through the center of the cover 19, and provided at its lower endwith a ball or plunger 25. The baflleplate 23 consists of metal-and is normall seated on the conducting bracket or shoul er 26 riveted to the side of the cop er tank 6. With this construction the pat of the lightnin dischar e is from electrode 4 through the oi to the ower end of the aluminum rod 22,

.electrodes in said chamber, maki then through the baffle plate 23 to the bracket 26 and thus to ground through a water resistance 27 of ordinary form. In case of a heavy current discharge from the lower electrode 4, the lower part of the column of oil in the insulating tube 5 will be volatilized and the explosive eflect produced thereby will force the column of oil u ward against baffle plate 23, thus moving t e upper electrode 22 away from the lower electrode and at' the same time interposing an auxiliary spark gap between the baffle plate 23 and the bracket 26. As this spark gap is beneath thesurface of the oil it exerts a owerful influence to break the arc in the ower part of the tube.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is, 1. In a lightning arrester, a plurality of electrodes, means for connecting one of said electrodes toground, an expansible liquid initially contacting with said electrodes, means for passing current through said liquid to ground, and means for automatically decreasing the quantity of liquid in the path of. said current to interrupt said current.

2. In aili'ghtning arrester, a plurality of electrodes, an expansible fluid initially contacting with said electrodes, means ,for conducting current to ground through said fluid,

means for concentrating the heating action of said current near one ofsaid electrodes and means for preventing the expansion of said fluid inadirection transverse to the direction ,of the current in said fluid.

"3. Ina lightning arrester, a plurality of electrodes,an ex ansible liquid initially contacting with sai electrodes, means for conducting current to ground through said liquid, and means for causing a'violent expansion of said liquid toward one of said electrodes and for limiting the expansion in other directions. r

'4. Means-for protecting an electrical circuit, com rising. a chamber, an expansible liquid wit saidchamber, a plurality of contact with said liquid one at least of said e ectrodes being stationary, and means for causing an expansion of said liquid to increase the distance between said electrodes.

5. Means for protecting an electrical circuit, com rising a chamber, a column of liquid wit in said chamber, a plurality of electrodes in said chamber in contact with and separated by said liquid, and automatic means for increasin the. distance between said electrodes and orviolently expellinga portion of said-liquid from said chamber.

6. In a li htnin arrester, a tubular chamber, an e ectro e secured to the wall of said chamber, a solid electrode fitting loosely in said chamber, a' liquid between said electrodes, means for passing current through said liquid thereby expanding thelsameand separating the two electrodes, and means for returning said electrodes and liquid to their 8. In a lightnmg arrester, a tube of insudating material having an open end, an electrode secured in the lower part of said tube, 3a column of liquid supported above said electrode, means for assing current through said column of liqui to ground, and means for concentrating the thermal effect of said current on said liquid near said electrode to interrupt the flow of current throughsaid 9. Means for protecting an electrical circuit from abnormal char es, comprising a tube of insulating inateria an electrode secured in the lower part of said tube, a column of liquid supported above said elec trode, a second electrode suspended in said liquid, means for .passin current through sald'column of. liquid, an

,rizing the li uid between said electrodes to increase the istancebetween said electrodes means for vapoand to interrupt the cu'rrent through the column of li uid.

10. A ightning arrester, comprising a tank for liquid, means for connecting said tank to ground, a tube of insulatirng material having one end connected to said tank and having an electrode at the opposite end, a liquid in said tube, means for conducting current to said electrode, means for concentratin the heating effect to said current near said electrode, and means for expelling the liquid from said tube into said tank to interrupt the flow of current from said electrode.

.11. A lightning .arrester comprising a tank for liquid, a tube of insulating material connected at one end to said tank and rovided at the other end with an electro e, a second electrode electrically connected to said tank and suspended in proximity to said first named electrode, and a liquid in. said tube expansible by current flowin therethrou h to increase the distance ietween said e ectrodes and to expel liquid from said tube into said tank.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of December, 1904.

EDWARD S. HALSEY.

Witnesses:

THOS. W. CONRAD, A. M. LAMB. 

